There is a potential road hazard on Hayden Road in Augusta, GA. A place where Giants top prospect INF Angel Villalona likes to hit 450-foot bombs over the left-field fence and into oncoming traffic. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants low-A Augusta GreenJackets (yes, like the 4 that Tiger Woods has won) are stockpiled with some of the best talent the Giants have had in many, many years. Scouts will almost unanimously tell you that the best of these players is 17-year-old Angel Villalona, who is making the transition from 3B to 1B this season. Villalona told reporters that he thinks he’s probably BETTER at 1B than 3B, and he feels more comfortable over there in general. If his power and plate-discipline at age 17 are any indication, the kid they call “Big V” will be ripping up major league pitching within the next two years.
Along with Villalona, the GreenJackets boast a number of prospects with tremendous upside. These include the middle infield combo of 2B Nick Noonan (sandwich pick, 2007) and SS Charlie Culberson (2nd round, 2007), along with two of last year’s first round draft picks, OF Wendell Fairley and P Madison Bumgarner. 19-year-old P Tim Alderson, Baseball America’s #84 prospect could also be on board, but with his command, the Giants may opt to promote him to A-San Jose sooner rather than later. All in all, this influx of youthful talent should be welcome sign to Giants fans, who have suffered through years of barren farm systems due to their unbridled reliance on the free-agent market to stockpile veteran players to surround one, Barry Lamar Bonds.
